If Greg Norman Wants to Play in the 150th British Open, He Will Have to Qualify
Greg Norman’s wish to play a final British Open this year at the home of golf were apparently dealt a blow on Saturday – unless he is willing to attempt qualifying – by the R&A, which issued a statement in response to media reports that Norman was filling out an application to enter.
Norman, 67, the winner of Opens in 1986 at Turnberry and 1993 at Royal St. George’s, told Australia’s Sydney Telegraph earlier this week that he believed he “could still get in. I’m a past Open champion. I love St. Andrews.
“If there’s a moment in time that I would consider going back and teeing off one last time, maybe this is it.’’
But unless Norman is willing to enter one of the four final qualifying venues nearer to the Open time – where just three spots are available at each – it appears he won’t be headed to St. Andrews. He is well past the age limit for past champions.
“The entry terms and conditions for The Open stipulate that a champion must be aged 50 or under or have won the championship in the previous 10 years to be exempt from qualifying,’’ the R&A said in a statement on Saturday. “That remains the case for The 150th Open and we have no plans for any additional exemptions.’’
Jack Nicklaus played his final Open in 2005 at St. Andrews – holing a birdie putt on the 18th hole for his final shot in official competition – at age 65, which was then the age limit. Two years later, the R&A lowered the age to 60 for past champions. In 2009, at age 59, Tom Watson nearly won the Claret Jug, losing in a playoff at Turnberry to Stewart Cink.
Later that year, the R&A added an exemption criteria that allowed a past champion who finished in the top 10 a five-year exemption. That took Watson through the Open in 2014, although the R&A granted him an exemption for 2015 so he could play his final Open at St Andrews.
That would have been the precedent that allowed Norman to compete.
But the Hall of Famer from Australia has not competed in an event offering world ranking points since 2012. His last Open was in 2009 at Turnberry, the year after he held the 54-hole hole lead at Royal Birkdale before finishing third to Padraig Harrington.
Norman is now the commissioner of a proposed new league and the CEO of LIV Golf Investments, a controversial venture that has been quite prominent in the last six months as it first attempted to launch a new tour this year before settling on a series of eight events that will begin in June.
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